Rescuers radio show

Angie Simon had a passion to change the world and prayed for God to use her in His Kingdom. In 2006, she went on a life-changing trip to Peru with Hope 4 Kids, a nonprofit formed by visionary Tom Eggum in 1973. Today she is still with the organization, serving as the vice president of international development. Hope 4 Kids International (H4KI) oversees the Water 4 Kids program, which has drilled m...

Ask sportscaster Gary Bender what were the first games he announced, and he might say they were during his countless hours driving a tractor on the family’s farm outside of Ulysses, Kansas. He made up baseball games in Yankee Stadium, and football games in the Orange Bowl or maybe the Los Angeles Coliseum. He’d even sing the national anthem, and do the commercials. Ultimately, those imaged games b...

Many people who are caregivers are not necessarily there by choice. At least not in the sense of choosing it as a profession – rather, choosing it through love for a family member with health issues. Dr. Nelly Clotter-Woods leads the Arizona Caregiver Coalition, whose sole purpose is to support caregivers and their families. Their website offers a wealth of material that not only talks about the c...

Kent Chase was flying high – literally. Jetting around the world as a pro golfer, he stayed at five-star resorts, met celebrities and presidents of countries he visited, and traveled with body guards. Also considered one of the best junior golf teachers in the world, he was featured on the cover of magazines. He had a wonderful family life. But then his wife developed breast cancer, and lost her l...

As a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner for 30 years, Tara Sundem was a frontline worker in the growing opiate epidemic, caring for the newborns suffering through opiate withdrawal.  Her passion to transform the healthcare experience for them and their families led her to found Hushabye Nursery, a nonprofit dedicated to caring for opiate-exposed newborns in their first weeks of life. The 12-bed inpatient...

Albert Celoza is a teacher and a lifelong learner. It's been his profession for many years, and now as executive director of the Arizona Interfaith Movement, he gets the opportunity to help individuals and groups learn more about the other faiths in our community. The organization's vision is a world of harmony, good will and peace among persons of all faiths, where the Golden Rule is a universal...

Brendon Zastrow had a successful 21-year career in aerospace and engineering, when he made a dramatic career change into a more people-oriented arena. Today, Brendon is devoted to helping men, couples, kids, and coaching sports in his role on staff both at Dream City Church and the Phoenix Dream Center that helps victims of human trafficking, those in rehab, provide affordable housing for those in...

Glenn Jordan went into his shop early the morning of August 26, 2021 at the All-American Eyeglass Repair to work on some orders. He was on the phone at 9:23 a.m. when the building was rocked by a natural gas explosion. Glenn survived thanks to fast work from first responders, but it would take the next 40 days at the Arizona Burn Center with second- and third-degree burns on 40 percent of his body...

Dr. Joyce Buekers is a fourth-generation harpist. Her grandmother was the first woman in the Los Angeles Philharmonic and played with Walt Disney Studios for over 40 years, including the harp in the ground-breaking film Fantasia. While Joyce continued the family legacy, she also got an undergraduate degree in math, with minors in systems engineering and music. She followed that with an MBA in syst...

The American Red Cross just celebrated the 100th anniversary of alleviating human suffering through disaster relief ranging from home fires to devastating floods, earthquakes and wildfires. The organization also supports the hurting through blood donations, first-aid training, service to military families and more. Melody Birkett first experienced the power of Red Cross volunteers as a reporter fo...

Charlie Ellis has discovered that while we often put our military veterans on pedestals, we overlook the fact that many are struggling. His dad, a World War II vet and Pearl Harbor survivor, was in a wheelchair by the time Charlie was a teenager, and he witnessed first-hand the challenges his father faced. In 2014 Charlie was part of a team to rebuild a home for an elderly woman, and by the time i...

He’s been called one of the best athletes to ever play the game of football. But J.D. Hill’s greatest accomplishments were still before him. J.D. excelled not just in football, but also lettered in baseball and track in college, an NCAA record that still stands today. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and also played for the Detroit Lions. But after his pro career came years of personal struggle...

His drug use and 35 years of alcoholism had caught up with Jim Morrissey. When he was arrested for DUI for the seventh time, instead of facing a few months in jail, he was looking at seven years in prison. Then one day he opened Pastor Greg Laurie’s “New Believer’s Bible,” and his life would never be the same. Today he has personally placed 2,198 copies of that Bible into people’s hands; and has s...

The concept behind Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA) focuses on the strategic role of the church in society, and was spread through conferences in Peru, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Ethiopia. It was birthed in 1997 as a joint initiative of Food for the Hungry and the Harvest Foundation to envision and equip local churches worldwide to fulfill their strategic, God-given roles...

Loren Tapahe has been involved in business, government and media in the Navajo Nation for more than 40 years. In that time he has witnessed a lot of changes. He’s also seen many things that should have changed – but didn’t. He has worked for the Navajo Nation government, and as CEO of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Arizona, as publisher of the Navajo Times, and was the first vice presi...

Lisa Scarpinato’s world changed 17 years ago when a friend told her of watching a local second-grader digging through the school cafeteria trash and stuffing discarded food in her pocket. The night she heard that story, she and her husband Vince committed to starting Kitchen on the Street. Today they create Bags of Hope – food backpacks that provide weekend nutrition to food-insecure children. But...

The story of Childhelp is so astounding, it should be made into a movie. It’s the true tale of two young actresses - Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fed­der­son – who played the roles of the girlfriends on the tele­vi­sion show “The Ad­ven­tures of Ozzie and Har­riet.” It began on a USO Tour in 1959 when the two young women were in Japan, and came across 11 street children in a typhoon. They dedicated the...

Kevin Youngblood has a passion for kids and education. Even more, a passion for making sure ALL children have access to quality education. He created an educational software dubbed Odysseyware to diagnose and prescribe solutions to learning challenges for at-risk youth in public and charter schools. He helped launch the Grand Canyon University Ventures program, and started Calvary Christian School...

The diagnosis of ALS can be crushing to a family. Medically, there’s no known cure for the disease that affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and even breathe. The relentless progression of the disease impacts not only the patient, but the entire family. Dr. Jeremy Shefner is one of the country’s leading experts on ALS. With a moniker like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, many pe...

Isaac Durham is a member of the Hopi Tribe from Second Mesa. His wife, Prerna, was born and raised in India. At first glance, you might think the two cultures have little in common. But both young people are driven by a mission to change the world in the name of Christ. Isaac works part-time for CHIEF Inc. (Christian Hope Indian Eskimo Fellowship) and is president of Native Christian Fellowship at...

Bud Brown has always had a passion for helping pastors. After leading churches of his own, he is one of three founders of Turnaround Pastors, a nonprofit that trains others to lead stagnant and declining churches through revitalization. They have walked alongside bewildered pastors, helping them to become confident leaders, and helping churches find the best pastoral candidates. In addition, Turna...

There are many worthwhile nonprofits designed to help people of all ages and types. But sometimes the most impactful opportunities are the ones God surprises us with. We just have to be available. Bonnie Mock is a classic example of being available, both personally and professionally. From her role as steward/owner of The Crowning LLC, to her passionate involvement in workplace ministries and alwa...

Mention “domestic violence programs,” and many people’s thoughts turn toward emergency shelters. But at Sojourner Center, one of the largest and longest-running domestic violence programs in the country, help also extends in the form of workforce development, a pet companion shelter, a child development center, lay legal advocacy, and transitional housing for up to two years. Julie Peterson, co-di...

Nancy Williams has a great professional background to lead the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents (AZAFAP). She has 30 years’ experience in education, a master’s degree in Special Education, and decades of working with students and families. But all of that pales in light of her experience as a mom of eight children, an adoptive parent, and fostering 50 children over 26 years with...

There are two founders cited for Gabriel’s Angels – not unusual for a nonprofit. In this case though, one of the founders has a winning smile, four feet and a tail. Pam Gaber and her Weimaraner Gabriel are listed as founding the organization in 2000, when the pair was visiting local classrooms to help children learn self-control and sensitivity. Today, Melissa Steimer is CEO of the nonprofit, lead...